Tysthetsnormen : En diskursanalytisk studie av debatten om stökiga folkbibliotek i relation till historiska biblioteksdiskurser

Sammanfattning: The aim of this thesis is to examine how discourses appearing in a Swedish media de-bate in 2015 about the unruly public libraries relate to former, historical discourses con-cerning public libraries. Through a discourse analytical approach, I analyze the beliefs, norms and values of the public library as expressed by the various participants in the debate and how these statements relate to historical library discourses that have been prevalent in Sweden during the 1900s.Two discourses were identified: the literary discourse and a discourse that perceive the library as a democratic meeting place. Within the literary discourse, which is clearly influenced by the public library ideas that became influential in Sweden in the early 1900s, emphasis is placed on the printed book; the public library is expected to be a place where silence reigns. Within the competing discourse, which has its roots in the 1970s, the library is seen as an open meeting place for various activities, not only for reading.The literary discourse has been and still is the dominant discourse. Within the literary discourse the public library is seen as a tool for public education. In the early 1900s the workers and the less well-off would be formed into responsible citizens. In modern times, there have been changes within the discourse and now it is rather the well-behaved young people with an immigrant background that are subject to public library's attentions. The hegemonic position of the literary discourse makes the notion that there should be a careful silence in public libraries perceived as self-evident. This in turn affects the possibility to innovate and further develop public library activities.